Owe You One
by bookhoarding
Summary: A slow StormPilot story. Poe begins to acknowledge his feelings for Finn as he recovers, but does he feel the same way?
1. Chapter 1

"Ain't no party like an X-Wing party because...," Snap stopped mid-sentence and held his bottle out for Poe to sing into.

 _Why did I agree to this?_ Poe thought, not for the first time. Everyone looked up to him, expectantly.

"Because an X-Wing party don't stop!" Poe yelled, his crew erupting with an ear-splitting cheer of approval.

It was a tradition for the squad to celebrate a victory together, but even more so when the odds had been what they were against the Starkiller Base. Nothing makes a person want to celebrate life more than having to face almost certain death. Tonight they'd celebrate, tomorrow they'd mourn their loses together.

The famed Black Leader usually took part in any and all festivities, but tonight had been different. His crew had had to drag him away from Finn's bedside in the medical center, threatening everything short of mutiny unless he put on his party face. It was only when Dr. Kalonia suggested the groups enthusiastic noises might be doing harm to Finn's healing process that Poe agreed to leave, but not before leaving BB-8 to monitor his friend.

Hearing a digital beep Poe looked up, expecting to see his droid companion, but it was just someone attempting to reconnect the broken speaker system behind the pilot barracks. More cheers erupted in the yard as the bonfire finally started to blaze. Looking around, he couldn't help but grin a little, despite his concern for Finn. The sheer joy was infectious.

A drink was forced into his hand, the music starting playing and he tried to shake off his worry, if only for a little while. His crew knew he was a good-natured, loyal man, so his reluctance to leave Finn's bedside shouldn't have been out of character. Poe was over-thinking things, the way he had done since meeting the former trooper. Usually suave and snarky, the pilot had been reduced to a mental state he hadn't been in since he was a teenager.

No matter what was happening, his thoughts kept returning to the moment he saw Chewbacca carrying an injured Finn out of the Millennium Falcon. In that moment he felt like someone had just detonated a seismic charge in the vicinity of his heart. Everything immediately after that had seemed like a blur of muffled voices and the drone of medical devices. Someone had managed to tear him away to the conference room after he had been assured Finn would live.

 _He's my friend, of course I'm worried for my friend._ Poe had tried to justify his feelings all day. Finn was the reason he had escaped from Kylo Ren, he owed him his life, but the ache he felt when he'd seen Finn again after Jakku had been like a punch in the gut. Even his body was against him, instinctively running toward his friend and enveloping him in an embrace he'd never have considered for someone he really didn't know.

 _We've lost so many today, please don't take Finn too. Not before I pay him back._

"Thanks again for saving my ass," a voice interrupted Poe's ruminations. He looked up to see Jess looking at him, one eyebrow raised.

"All part of a days work, Blue Three," he replied.

"Is the famous party-animal being a wallflower tonight? Or are you considering trading in your helmet for a bartending job?"

"Neither. I was just waiting for the fridge packs to activate so we could enjoy the beer at something more pleasant than the temperature of a Tauntaun," he shifted the contents of the closest cooler to illustrate his pure concern for the beverage needs of his crew.

"Well, standing here and staring is not going to make it work any faster. Come join us." She grabbed his hand and shimmied her way into the middle of the make-shift dance floor, which was really just a grass-free area of the yard that had seen its share of late-night revelry. Surrounded by his faithful squad, he let himself relax a little and enjoy the warmth of the fire and friendship.

-

A few too many drinks later he found himself stumbling down a darkened hallway in the barracks.

"This is my stop," Jess said, flicking her head to indicate her door. The gesture was unnecessary, as he'd tread this path to her bed more than once. The adrenaline of battle often carried over into other activities, and it wasn't uncommon for the pilots to take mutual solace in each-other's arms for a night.

"Is it? Well, I guess I better leave you -" Poe was interrupted as Jess placed a finger on his lips. With her other hand she keyed in her code to unlock the door behind her.

"Remember, I owe you one," she smiled mischievously.

 _Her lips are so soft and her hair always smells like tart berries,_ Poe's drunken mind wandered, his eyes on her wicked grin. The door clicked open and Jess moved her hand from his mouth to a belt on the front of his orange jumpsuit. Grabbing it, she pulled him into the room with her.

Mechanically his hands went to her hips, his eyes meeting hers as she slowly began unzipping his suit. Lips met lips and breathing turned into gasping. He pulled her closer, one hand on her hip, the other in her hair. She bit his lip, making him moan.

"You taste like Snap's strongbrew," Jess whispered, pulling back and shaking her head at him.

 _I wonder how Finn tastes,_ Poe thought. _I think his lips would be softer than this._ He instantly froze, realizing Jess was staring at him expectantly. Had he been thinking out loud in his drunken haze?

"What?" Poe finally said.

"Geez, you must have had more than usual. I said you tasted like Wex's strongbrew. That crud he gets from off-world? You know that stuff will give you a hangover."

"Oh, yeah. I may have had a sip, or three." Poe pulled away and ran a hand through his hair.

"You ok?" Jess asked. "Not gonna barf on me now, are you?"

"No," Poe shook his head, trying to clear it. "I just, maybe I'm just a bit too tired for this tonight."

Jess nodded. No matter how many lust-fueled entanglements the pilots had engaged in, they remained friends, first and foremost.

"It was a rough day, for all of us. I'm a bit exhausted myself," she said, suppressing a yawn.

"Well, I say we get some rest. Don't know how much fun either one of us would be tonight if we're both too tired to enjoy ourselves," he shrugged and gave what he hoped passed for a charming, yet inebriated, smile.

Jess nodded and turned toward her bed, randomly groping at zippers and tabs on her jumpsuit as she waded around small piles of clothes.

As Poe closed the door he heard the springs of a mattress creak and Jess sigh, "Don't forget, I owe you."

-

The medical center was silent except for the rhythmic beating and whirling of life-saving machines and the occasional snore from a patient.

Poe made his way toward Finn's bed. Standing in front of him, he felt that ache again, but knew there was nothing he could do to remedy it, at least not for now. His eyes landed on a neat pile of folded clothes at the foot of the bed. Someone had laundered his black uniform and attempted to clean the scorch marks off of the jacket, Poe's jacket.

 _No, he thought, Finn's jacket. Definitely Finn's jacket now._ Picking up the battle-scarred jacket he closed his eyes and remember that moment, watching Finn run toward him.

Beeee boooo, BB-8 murmured.

Poe nodded at his mechanical buddy. "I'll return it in the morning, promise."

BB-8 let out what sounded like a skeptical sigh as Poe made his way toward the supply closet.

It was dawn, and he hadn't slept even a second. Every time Poe had started to fall asleep he'd managed to stab himself with a needle, knock the jar of cleaning solution off the table or something else inconveniently noisy. Holding up his handiwork he was glad he'd somehow avoided getting any blood or polish on the jacket.

The first rays of sunlight were creeping through the windows in the medical center as Poe returned the much-loved jacket to his friend's pile of clothes.

BB-8 whipped around and let out a little hoot of concern.

"I'll be fine. Tired, but fine. You stay here BB-8," Poe said, taking one last look as his friend, vitals gently updating on the datapad beside him, chest rising and falling under the covers.

-

"Glad we aren't fighting today," Snap said to his squad-mates gathered around a makeshift lunch-table in the hangar.

"Why's that?" someone asked, passing to grab a vitamin bar.

"Because, our fearless leader is too hungover to be useful," Snap replied, jerking his head toward a corner of the hanger.

Everyone at the table turned around, watching as Black Leader dozed under a worktable.


	2. Chapter 2

"Trust me, the parts are going to match," Snap said, trying to reassure Nien Nunb, who had expressed skepticism over the whole venture.

After a day of much-needed ship maintenance and a memorial for their lost squad-members, a trip off-world was needed. Poe had made a list of items for his crew's ships and taken down individual requests before setting off with Snap and Nien.

Snap had lead them to parts shop in Akiva he trusted, but that Nien had furiously argued would cheat them somehow.

Poe, who loved flying, especially when he needed a distraction, was glad to be out of his ship. The bickering between his two companions had almost driven him to veer off course and out of the territory. As his crew gradually made their way over to unpack the ship, he excused himself to take a stroll around the medical center.

Breeee booooo. BB-8 rolled happily behind him, beeping positive thoughts about the condition he'd find his friend in.

Dr. Kalonia was just leaving the wing when she saw him coming, she stopped mid-notation and lowered her clipboard to update him on Finn. His body was healing and he was slowly coming out of his coma, but there would be no predicting when exactly he'd wake up. Besides a few words in fevered sleep, he'd yet to wake up, but she insisted everything was going well before briskly walking off.

Approaching the intensive care pod, Poe couldn't help but feel an ache in his stomach. _Finn is strong,_ he told himself. _He's going to be up and running in no time. Hopefully not running too far away from here._

Mmmmmmmm brrrrrr, BB-8 insisted.

"Fine, I'll talk to him. Don't know how much help I'll be, but I'll talk." Poe brought a chair over to the side of the pod. "So, ummmm..." What could someone say to a person in a coma?

Mmmmm beee beee, chided BB-8.

"I'm no nervous! You just keep distracting me."

BB-8 just responded by tilting his domed head to the side in a way that said "yeah, right."

Poe took a deep breath and started talking. He recounted his recent parts run, arguments and lost card games included. Midway through his story he wondered if Finn had ever played cards with his fellow troopers. _Had he ever had a chance to have any kind of relationship with another person? Had he ever had the freedom to?_

Poe made a mental note to bring a packet of cards next time he came to visit. _Because he'll be awake then_ , he told himself.

"Rey," Finn croaked.

Poe stopped mid-word. Was Finn waking up? Had he imagined it? He held his breath, waiting to see if more words would come.

"Rey," Finn breathed, voice raspy from lack of water and days of intense healing. His eyes remained closed, but his brows furrowed slightly. The first signs of waking since he'd been brought back.

BB-8 buzzed away to get the doctor.

"She's fine. Rey's fine. She's on a- on a mission right now. She'll be back," Poe hoped his words would ease whatever concerns the comatose friend had. He reached out to gently place his hand over Finn's. "She's fine and you're going to be fine. You hear me?"

He knew he wouldn't get a response, but he wasn't just saying it for Finn's sake.

"Rey," Finn said a little later, his face relaxing slightly.

Poe watched BB-8 roll back into the wing, the doctor right behind him.

"I have some stuff to do, but I'll be back later." Poe got up to leave. "I still owe you one, Finn."

Walking away, he felt his heart sink a little. _Of course Finn's mind was on Rey. She's great. Amazing pilot and the one that helped save Finn from a death blow courtesy of Kylo Ren._

While thoughts circled tightly in Poe's head, he missed Finn's eyelids flutter as he said, barely audible, "Poe."


	3. Chapter 3

"Join the Resistance, we have barkmeal and sourfry!" Jess playfully sung as they made their way toward the makeshift Resistance offices in Myrra.

"Yeah, you know maybe you shouldn't be a part of the recruiting process. We're trying to get people to join, not run away in terror," Snap teased Jess.

"Hey, I'm just trying to be realistic. Keeping their expectations low can only help them in the long run."

Poe appreciated the attempts at humor his crew had been making. Despite a major victory against the First Order, they had still lost members of their pilot family. On top of that, they knew another battle would come as soon as General Hux and Kylo Ren has had a chance to collect and organize what was left of their forces.

General Leia had sent what pilots she felt could be spared for the important mission of recruiting for the Resistance. They had lost pilots in the attack against the Starkiller Base, but most of the New Republic fleet had been eradicated with the Hosnian System.

She'd also thought it would be a convenient time to resupply the base itself, seeing as how there's no better escort than a squad of X-wings. Since the recent battle security had been upped for all vital operations, another reason Poe's already scant crew needed new pilots and ships.

"Remember folks, they're willing to put their lives at risk to better the galaxy," Poe said, turning to his crew. "So pretend to be upstanding citizens for the next few hours and I'll buy you all a round at the cantina."

He nodded at Snap before turning and marching into the offices to meet a long line of potential recruits.

-

"So we have four pilots with their own ships, 15 pilots with no ship and about 42 with no ship and no battle experience," Snap said, shaking his head.

It had been a rough day, interviewing hundreds of applicants in a stuffy dining hall converted into a recruitment center for their purposes. The crew had done their part to be welcoming, but no amount of niceties could have guaranteed a good turnout. They had a decent list of potential squad-members, and had directed the candidates that didn't meet their qualifications to other divisions needing members in the Resistance.

Poe had been good on his word and taken his team out to dinner afterwards. Nien was busy trying to get the attention of the nearest server, Snap was relentlessly reliving every interview and Jess was looking eagerly over the menu.

"On the bright side," Poe said, "we only have one more session tomorrow, then we can take off."

"Some bright side," Jess muttered.

It was then that the serving droid arrived, plunking a tray of drinks onto the table. Relief washed over the table, leaving everyone temporarily speechless. Nothing like a cold, stiff drink to help everyone relax.

Poe didn't know how the others felt, but he assumed it was some mixture of nostalgia and melancholy. He had grown up knowing the risks of fighting the force of the dark side, but hearing the stories and being a part of the battle itself are two very different things. So many young applicants had come through today, not fully understanding what they would be facing. Never having been in battle, they wouldn't know the pressure of life and death decisions. They wouldn't know the mixture of fear and adrenaline that a space battle could bring on. Many hadn't seen death yet. Never seen a friend be killed on the front line or be taken hostage.

As much as they needed new pilots, Poe couldn't help but mourn for another generation that would grow up with galactic warfare.

-

The squad perked up after getting a decent meal and a another round of drinks under their belts. They made their way to the hotel they'd be staying in for the night. Since it was adjacent to the hangar, Poe thought he'd check in on the supply crew's progress and make sure BB-8 got settled in for the night.

Brrrrr blllooooo, his droid-friend purred at him. BB-8 had spent the day helping the supply crew's hired droids load up.

"Hey BB-8, tired too?"

BB-8 cooed a response.

"No word from D'Qar? Well, we'll be heading back tomorrow, so we can check on him then, ok?"

Poe got an affirmative beep from BB-8 and then he grabbed his overnight bag from his ship.

-

"Rough day, right?" Jess said, letting Poe into her room.

"Tell me, when we were talking to the young ones, what were you thinking about?"

"Feeling guilt, are you?" Jess raised an eyebrow. Poe didn't respond, just sat heavily in the only chair in the tiny room. "Hrmmmm, I guess I was thinking of myself, mostly."

Poe looked up at her, wanting her to continue.

"When I was young I grew up on these amazing stories, and when I had the chance to join up I couldn't resist," she sighed as she sat on the edge of her bed. A far off look in her eye as she thought back to her early days as a pilot. "I think a part of me knew it would never be as romantic as they make it in the stories, but that wasn't why I was doing it. I was doing it because I knew I was needed. Alone I may not be able to save the galaxy..."

"... but maybe if you were part of something bigger than you are you could make a difference," Poe finished when she paused.

"Even if my name doesn't end up in the archives," she nodded.

"Because it's the right thing to do," he said, echoing words he'd heard not long ago.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, thinking back on their first battles, their first loses, their first wins.

The light sensor powered down after five minutes of inactivity. Without saying anything Jess put her hand out and pulled Poe into the bed.

When they kissed Poe searched for that ache he'd felt, but it wasn't there. It had never been, but he wondered if the person he ached for felt the same way. He'd thought about little else since hearing the name of another escape his lips.

 _Maybe this is for the best_ , he consoled himself. _It's better to know now, rather than later. Less messy._

Shifting himself to hover over Jess he trailed his lips down her neck, to the collar of her shirt and then over her breasts. Her nipples already hard, he sucked them from over the fabric, hearing her gasp sharply as he did so. Maneuvering his body lower he unzipped her pants, gently sucking on her skin as he made his way down. Pausing to remove her pants he made use of the moment to take off his shirt and rid her of her top.

"I hope this place is soundproof," he said, grinning.

Poe's hands traveled up the insides of Jess' thighs and he reveled in the the shivers rippling through her body. He could hear her hold her breath as he ran his agile fingers along the edge of her underwear where it met her thighs. Pressing his mouth against the garment he slowly kissed her body through the fabric, which was already damp before his lips began working away.

After a moment he realized Jess was still making an effort to make as little noise as possible. They'd played this game before, and he always won.

He pulled away and deftly moved her underwear to the side and slowly ran one finger from the tip of her clit and down, feeling her bite back a gasp. Moving one hand down into his underwear to adjust and encourage his growing erection, he adjusted his position so he could easily go down on Jess.

Her thighs shook as she tried to keep them steady, but soon they were pressed against his ears, her hands grasping at his hair as she gently moaned into the darkness.

"What planet did you learn to do that on?" she whispered after a particularly intriguing moment that involved Poe humming an old canteen song as his tongue was lapping up her wet, sensitive flesh.

He chuckled and pulled away from her for a second.

"You remember that spaceport in Corellia run by that couple?"

Jess sighed as a response. Everyone remembered that particular excursion. Was there ever a time Poe's charm didn't help them out of tense situation? Taking advantage of his pause in activities, and therefore the ability to think clearly again, she pulled his mouth to hers and flipped him on to his back. Sitting astride Poe she moved her pelvis against his. Making use of her position she pinned his wrists above his head and kissed him slowly.

His hips moved up against hers, matching the languid rhythm she had set. Poe's hands wanted to roam her body, but being pinned he contented himself with sensual kissing. She gently nibbled his bottom lip, and then moved to his ear, playfully licking the lobe and then sucking on it. Jess released his wrists in order to continue trailing her mouth down his neck and collarbone, settling on his nipples. Hands now free, Poe's hands caressed her body, barely making contact with her skin, but still causing a pleasing shivering effect from his partner.

In retaliation she moved down, made quick work of removing his boxers and held his hard member in her hand. He jerked slightly on her palm, ready for her to take him. This was their game, like a training exercise to see who could outlast the other before breaking. Tonight Poe didn't think he'd win this game. He'd been feeling antsy as of late, and having attentions other than his own hand weren't helping.

He tried to maintain composure as her tongue traveled up and down his shaft. When her mouth closed over him he couldn't take it. His hands shot straight to her hair, pulling her up to his mouth as he shoved her underwear down her legs. Sensing his need, she helped him remove the thin material and moved to straddle his hips. She leaned over him to her nightstand, rummaged in her travel bag for a standard issue condom.

"Thank goodness," she heard him whisper as he took the square package from her hands and set to work putting it on. Though she hardly needed it, she grabbed a small lube package and applied it quickly. Her fingers had barely left her vulva before Poe wrapped his arms around her, maneuvered her onto her back and slid into her. Both of them moaned in pleasure and he thrust into her at a steady pace, though she could tell he wanted more.

Indeed, he was trying he hardest to focus on the moment, the person he was with, and giving them a pleasurable experience. He always prided himself on being a considerate lover, but tonight his mind kept trying to slip away to someone else. Indulging himself for a moment he let a recent fantasy slide through his mind. His hips moved faster. He heard murmurs from Jess as he felt her tensing before her release. His fantasy continued to play out as she called his name and he felt his rushing end. Biting his lip, he finished, barely able to keep the wrong name from slipping from his lips.

Collapsing into each other's arms in a sweaty, heaving mess. The two slowly settled into the mattress, trying to catch their breath. Poe and Jess slept without waking for the first time since the Starkiller battle.


End file.
